Movement patternsMovement patterns

Movement patterns

Movement patterns are poorly known for this species (Pringle 1987). They are possibly dispersive or migratory (Lowe 1963) but might be best described as nomadic (movements with no fixed spatial or temporal pattern). Movements have been attributed to local conditions: to flooded areas; from drying to permanent wetlands; away from areas affected by drought. Evidence for migration of some birds includes claims of regular seasonal influxes, e.g. spring-summer or summer visitor to Cunnamulla and Minden in Queensland, Mossgiel in south-western NSW, and Victoria (Marchant and Higgins 1993).

Surveys from 1977–1981 suggest that the birds leave the southern part of their range in winter, as combined reporting rates for eastern Queensland, NSW and Victoria were 0.5 per cent in summer and 0.04 per cent in winter (Blakers et al. 1984). It is not known if the difference in reporting rate is due to movement or if the species is just more difficult to find in winter. It is claimed that birds arrived at Ayr, Queensland from March to April each year (Lowe 1963). A breeding flock near Kerang remained approximately 150 days in the area from November 1956 (Lowe 1963). Records in the Kimberley region are from all months and breeding has been recorded in March, August to September and possibly December. This suggests that the population may be resident, although not strictly sedentary (Hassell and Rogers 2002).

Occurrence of major and widespread flooding in inland regions has coincided with records of Australian Painted Snipe occurrence, e.g. breeding in floodplain wetland of the Diamantina River, Queensland Channel Country, in January 2001 after a flood peak had subsided (Jaensch 2003a), following widespread major flooding in 2000; breeding at Lake Tarrabool, Barkly Tableland, before May 1993, after major flooding across the region’s wetlands (Jaensch 2003b); and occurrence in northern catchment of the Georgina River, north-west Queensland, in April 2009, following a major flood (Jaensch 2009). These dates also fit the pattern suggested by Black et al. (2010).